Forum - View topicThe Mike Toole Show - Sakura Wars: What Is It Good For?
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zensunni
 Posts: 1293 |
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I loved Sakura Wars V on the Wii. It is, frankly, the most fun I have had playing a video game since the original Wing Commander series way, way back. It has great graphics, fantastic voice acting, and a fun story. I also am a huge fan of Kousuke Fujishima's character designs. (Did you know that the heroine of his most recent manga, Paradise Residence, looks almost exactly like Gamini? I think about the game whenever a chapter of that extremely slow manga comes out.)
I would love to be able to play the original games, especially the ones with Sakura in them, as she is kind of my ideal anime girl, in terms of design. I have the TV series on dvd and plan to pick up the BluRay of the movie as well. |
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Sly05
 Posts: 26 |
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I got into the games with their release on the dreamcast and really enjoyed them. I also printed off the baulky translation guides and walkthroughs. My favourite game of the series was the third one as it had both the best production values and the best squad. Erica and Glycine are my favorite characters from the games.
It's too bad that SW5 didn't do very well. It was great to finally play one in English and I liked what they did with the battle system. The lack of minigames and other extras was a bit of a disappointment though. |
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fuuma_monou
 Posts: 1817 Location: Quezon City, Philippines |
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My introduction to the franchise was the TV series on AXN Asia back in the nineties. I started playing the games with the Dreamcast port of ST 2. Got a PS2 just to play the fifth game, but unfortunately I'm stuck on the battle against Tenkafubu. Considering that my Japanese is beginner level at best, it's kinda weird that the only English-translated game in the series gave me the most trouble.
My favorite girl is Sumire. Got her ending on my second play through of ST 1, which let me see a few extra scenes when I replayed ST 2. |
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belvadeer
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I have the first VHS of the OVAs. Nothing else sadly. Thanks to Project X Zone, I want to experience more of the series now. And thanks to hardcoregaming101, I got up to speed on the games: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/sakurataisen/st1.htm
A shame so many of the games were just skipped over coming here and an even bigger shame Sakura Wars V bombed so bad. I want to say I blame the ignorance of North America for that, but I guess that's not entirely fair since the series apparently has done little to capture attention here. Some U.S. gamers who know the series and played V said it just didn't have the magic of the other games. What will you likely love about PXZ, Mike, will be the interactions Ichiro, Sakura, Erica and Gemini will have with the other party members. Sakura even does some of her famous faces during some key points. It's quite entertaining. |
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tangytangerine
 Posts: 439 |
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Kinda weird timing, as I just grabbed the final DVD last week that I needed from the Sakura Wars anime stuff that's out in the U.S. . It was the Sumire OVA and got it for a $1 at a local Goodwill.
I do have to agree that the OVAs(besides Sumire) felt like companion pieces that were meant to be played along side the games. As the first OVA jumped around the story and the Sakura Wars 2 & Paris OVA introduced new characters into episodes with no introduction at all. It just felt confusing unless you did a little information digging before watching them. Never did get around to watching the movie, as it's sat on one of my shelves for a couple years unopened. Tried the TV series, but the animation really turned me away from trying to finish the show. I know Madhouse has done some shows that have lacked detail(like Princess Resurrection), but this really looked like it was done on a shoestring budget. Out of the stuff I've seen, the Sakura Wars 2 OVA & Sumire seem like the best. But that might due to them being self-contained episodes that were character-related and didn't relate that much to the game's story. I also wanted to mention that the OVAs that ADV released is one of small number of DVDs from them that offered a second angle option. Which basically swapped the english dub actor's names for the characters in the OP to the japanese seiyuu names. As for my favorite character, it's Sakura. Somewhat due to Chisa Yokoyama, since she voiced one of my favorite characters(Tenchi Muyo's Sasami). |
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omoikane
Posts: 494 |
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This was one of my biggest shows in the early 00s. I caught on right before ST3 came out and there was all this hype and marketing and it didn't take much to get swept off by it if you are exposed to that. I bought the Dreamcast set when that came out, so I can catch up on the older games.
I played the first four games using a TV card, so I can see the game on one side of the monitor and the translation on the other. I think I last played Sakura Taisen V a couple years ago, when the NISA version hit street. Okamoto Maya at Acen that year was a blast. I had a great time there too, a fellow hardcore Sakutai friend (who now is a riajuu!) was there too and we still talk about that memory now and then. He and I would sometime karaoke songs from the different musicals and aaaah nostalgia just attacked now. I guess I better go to a kayo show before they fully stop that nonsense! Man, thinking back, I did a ton of Sakutai related fan nerd stuff. Like team karaoke Kiseki no Kane and what have you.
Impressive. But if you shop used, you can score the CD box (at least the first one) for less than that. Lastly, Sumire > Hanabi > Glycine > Coquelicot > Erica > Iris > Sakura > everyone else. For side characters, it has to be Kayama > Mell & Ci > everyone else. Yea my bias is p. clear. |
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Yu Ominae
Posts: 71 |
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Normally I don't post much here, but I'll share my ST experience even though I didn't play the games due to having little Japanese fluency and that I don't have the money to buy them.
Aside from the Mobage phone game that turned off a lot of the Japanese fan base with a browser game that I don't know if it went anywhere, a motion CG comic is being produced based on the manga... http://segabits.com/blog/2013/08/07/sakura-wars-cg-motion-manga-heading-to-japan-by-tomotoon/ I don't know if the cast will voice them since a couple of them are inactive for good reason (Michie-san since she's got family and Maya-San for studying theater in America, but I'm not sure if she's active lately). Aside from plans (If I can do that) from doing fanfics on the franchises, which isn't much... I'll wait for peeps on YT to do LPs on the series. I know there's an attempt to rally fan support for digital release of the first four games since they have been released for PC in Chinese and Russian. Is it wrong to say that I like the Fujieda siblings, especially since Ayame and Ogami resulted in hilarious situations with Sakura being jealous. Too bad they're not available for romance interactions. At least you can do that in fanfic writing. 
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DangerMouse
Posts: 3983 |
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I really enjoyed Sakura Wars 5 too, got the PS2 version, it really sucks that it wasn't successful enough for them to continue with the games like they planned.
That's the one I believe I started with too, that was an awesome game. |
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kevinx59
 Posts: 959 Location: In sunny California |
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Fascinating article Mr. Toole. I am not a huge Sakura Wars fan, but i have been trying to collect all of the Sakura wars anime released here,mostly because the releases are pretty cheap. (a local record shop was selling all of the OVA's and movie for 3 bucks each a couple years back. i was able to get the move and paris ova, but not the rest). I watched the movie first, and it was kinda meh, but I started to enjoy it quite a bit after i watched my tv series set. the beautiful animation alone is making me consider buying the blu ray. Oh, and i have part V for wii. one of my big addictions for a while. strange that of all the animes we got, the ova related to the game actually released here was 1 of the only ones we didn't get. I'm sad it wasnt a big seller, but the $15 value releases at NIS booth at AX2013 should have tipped me off.
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NegativeGate
 Posts: 48 Location: Maryland |
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I played the ps2 version of 5 on recommendation of a suspiciously overzealous shopkeeper. See I was actually asking for a game akin to Arc the lad or Devil Survivor, needless to say I was pretty disappointed as that element of the game had little focus and depth.
I still finished though then sold it back to a different store and never went back to the place I bought it for being unable to understand what I was actually asking for. It wasn't for me, project X zone however has had my interest for a while now and don't worry I will probably still play as Sakura sometimes. |
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scrumly1
Posts: 18 |
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Great Article, nice to see this series get some western love.
First off, I don't the addition of a wii version For Sakura Wars V helped it much. From all the googling I've done it seems like that was a North American/Europe thing only, which more than likely means that NISA had to pony up the money for the port. While the didn't spend a lot, Idea Factory(the 'fan" nickname of more famous 'F' word, if you prefer) did the porting. The problem being at that stage in the PS2's life cycle everyone into JRPG's owned one. In fact this may have one of the last non-annualized non-sports titles to come to the old workhorse, Secondly, I think it might do decently enough as a Steam port. I'm missing some information but 1 and 2 got brand new shiny PC DVD realeses in 07 and it would shock me if they didn't follow through with 3 and 4. So a decent translation and price it might do about as well as YS 1&2, 2 games that have been ported everywhere and which I've owned almost every domestic release. Including 2 different cellphone versions. Third I think that the few Japanese games set at the same point in history, tend to make the Taisho era last longer, I guess they make the simple assumption that a longer taisho period with a weak emperor would extend the political backbiting of the Army, Navy, Left, And ultranationalists. Which may be true as a weak emperor would give nothing for the ultranationalists to hold up and coopt to manipulate the people of japan. Though it wouldn't prevent the Japanese invasion of China, It keep the army with not nearly as much support at home, and the navy continuing to stay out of it. And as a minor quibbling. If this had been full blown porn, I could understand the uncomfortable nature of the younger character wishing to marry you. If the game were more salacious, I could see the problem, but I have a maybe younger niece who says similar things to that. I find it much more disturbing they're involving a child that young in life or death fighting. Just my 2 cents. |
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GVman
 Posts: 729 |
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I really like SakuTai, but I need to get back to playing it. I own the first four for the Dreamcast and the fifth for the ps2, but all I've beaten is the first; real life has been getting in the way.
Anywho, they're great fun and there's guides available for all of them. I'd also recommend the non-Saturn versions of 1 and 2 as they let you redo movements during the battles. |
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14761 |
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A blast from the past. At one point, this was the most successful 90's franchise on Sega consoles. That's how we got introduced to it from a friend who had all the Japanese and Western consoles who was obsessed with it. But it was the end of an era in Japan when the Sakura Cafe closed after a decade of service.
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TJ_Kat
Posts: 363 Location: Saskatoon, Canada |
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I did my part and got a copy of 5. It was fun, but I put it down for some reason (I don't remember why) and never finished it. I was right near the end too...
If anyone is interested, Operation Rainfall is planning to harass XSEED Games about getting the first 4 localized. |
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Mai Yukino
 Posts: 217 |
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Good article about Sakura Wars...
I'm a fan of the series; from the anime down to the live stage shows that were produced. Sakura Shinguji is among one of my favorite anime/game heroines because of her genuine nature she has, such as her caring nature towards those around her to her strong determination to be the best she can be. She develops quite well as a character as she transforms from a shrinking violet to a shining star. I also was quite fond of Sumire Kanzaki as well, she is one of the rare oujo-sama characters I do like and there's quite a number of them I do dislike who are selfish snobs, but Sumire was one that developed into a fine, young woman who discarded her snobbish attitude with time, but still had her quirks especially in her interactions with Kanna. Iris Chauteaubriand is cute as a button and is one of my favorite loli characters with her angelic innocence. Another thing I enjoyed about the series was its' all-star cast with the talented seiyuu that were involved; aside from the talented Chisa Yokoyama as Sakura, those others I enjoyed was Michie Tomizawa as Sumire, Urara Takano as Maria Tachibana, Mayumi Tanaka as Kanna Kirishima, Ai Orikasa as Ayame and Kaede Fujieda, and Noriko Hidaka as Erica Fontaine. As far as the anime adaptations go my personal favorites are the TV series, the first OVA, the movie, and the Sumire special. I enjoyed the TV series because it fleshed out the story and the characters more than the first OVA, I especially liked how an episode was dedicated to the time before the Hanagumi was formed and seeing Sakura's father in action. The second OVA was alright, but it felt more like filler episodes, spoiler[especially how in the first episode Ayame was in it, then the rest switch to her younger sister Kaede. Anyone with no knowledge to the original games may find that aspect confusing. In the original games, Ayame had defected to the side of her former lover who is the main antagonist of the Hanagumi and later dies. Her younger sister Kaede is introduced in the second game, taking over Ayame's position. Also note that the TV series takes an alternate route in which Ayame doesn't defect to Aoi Satan's side, so I look at it as an alternate reality when it comes to how the TV adaptation concludes.] The new conflict as told in the second game is quite an intriguing story, and it's rather disappointing that wasn't adapted. I must say that the movie was quite the visual looker with the animation being produced by Production I.G. The stage shows are a thing of vision too and one of the most ironic things I've noticed was for their Saiyuki show where Mayumi Tanaka (Kanna) was doing the role of Son Goku and she herself portrayed the role of Krillin in Dragonball, a series that took its' inspiration from the Journey to the West (aka Saiyuki) legend. Tanaka did a fantastic job in the show as Son Goku. Urara Takano (Maria) was also awesome in her role as Gyumaoh. I also enjoyed the Ai Yueni show with Takano and Yokoyama in the lead roles and their duet is among one of my favorite songs of all time from the series. The shows themselves are well produced and the performers all worked hard to make them entertaining for their audiences. I think what makes Sakura Wars so great is the excellent songs that were made and how they were brought to life with the voices of the seiyuu who performed them. The songs are sung with the greatest passion and it's entertaining to see them being performed on their stage shows. |
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